Electric battery



' o Uriarte STATES PATENT firmen.

HOSEA W. LIBBEY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC BATTERlY.

SP ECIFICATIION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,689, dated April 2, 1895.

Application filed February 23, 1894. Serial No. 501,098. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known thatI, I-IosEA W. LIBBEY, a citiiZen of the United States, residing at Boston, 1n the county ofSuolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Batteries, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecication.

My inventionrelates to certain improvements in electric batteries. n

The invention consists of a cell formed of one perforated positive and two perforated negative elements preferably of disk form and separated by a slotted ring of insulating material and inclosed at each end by an insulating disk having a rim or flange projecting toward and holding the outer elements, The positive element being formed witha recess therein which recess and the spaces between the elements and between them and the outer disks being filled with suitable absorbent vmaterial and the whole being held together by rods passing through lugs on the sides of the insulating rings and disks, a tank being supported above to contain exciting uid that is supplied to the absorbent material through tubes as hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure l represents a single cell embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a Vertical transverse section of same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line x, of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation and partial section of a portion of a battery consisting of a series of cells. Fig. 5 is a view showing a battery embodying my invention applied to the roof of a street car.

A, represents a central ring of suitable insulating material, preferably porcelain, the upper end of which is formed with a slot.

B, B, are the outer disks formed with an in- Wardly projecting rim or flange b, (see Fig. 2) of insulating material, preferably porcelain.

O is a perforated disk of zinc or other suit` able material formed with a recess therein so that it appears like two plates connected together at their upper ends. r

D, D, are perforated disks of retort carbon or other suitable material.

E, E', represent absorbent material such as 5o spon ge.

F, is a tank for holding the exciting fluid (such as diluted sulphuricl acid) and f are pipes for conducting said fluid to the absorbent material E.

The disks B, and ring A, are each formed with a lug a, on each side, said lugs being formed with a hole through which a bolt or rod Gis passed and secured in place bya nut g, thus holding the parts inl close contact.

The outer edges of the ring A, and the edges of the rims b, are each formed with a shoulder in which the disks D, D, fit so as to form suitable compartments between said disks and the insulating disks B, to contain the absorbent material, and centrally between the disks D, D, is arranged the divided disk O, which is held in place by two rings` e, of insulating material the space in the center of the disk C, as well as the spaces between said disk and 7o the disks D, being filled with a suitable absorbent material.

The disks O, D, are formed with a number of holes which are countersunk on their outer edges, thus presenting a larger amount of sur- 7 5; face for contact with the absorbent material through which holes the exciting luid passes from the absorbent material E, between the 'disks O, and disks D, to the absorbent material`E.

VTo each of negative disks D, is secured a binding post d', which are connected by a wire H, and to one of the disks D, is also secured a second binding post d2 to which the wire I, is connected and to the disk C, is secured a binding post d3, to which the wire J, is connected. By this construction the exciting tluid is in contact with both sides of the positive and negative elements as well as the surface of the holes therein. Thus a very 9o large amount of electricity is generated and as the exciting fluid is held by the absorbent material on both sides of the plates and in the holes therein which absorbent material is kept in the required condition (after it has been saturated) by the duid that escapes from the tank, the pipes between the tank and the absorbent material being of such size as to supply the said fluid drop by drop7 the absorbent material being forced into the countersunk holes is held so that it cannot be displaced by any jar or motion. It will be seen that by this construction a very powerful cell is produced and there is not any fluid that can be spilled or shaken up so as to interfere with the action of the same and with a further advantage that the fluid is so supplied to the absorbent material as to compensate for any loss and by means of the absorbent material polarization is almost ifV not entirely prevented.

In Fig. 4 I have shown aseries of said cells connected to form a battery all the said cells being connected together by bolts or rods, the construction being the same as before described with reference to the single cell eX- cepting that the disks B', separating the adjacent cells are formed with rims or flanges b, on each side to hold said elements in place.

The power of a battery thus constructed is onlylimited bythe number ofcells employed and as they are in such compact form they occupy but a smalll space so that very powerful batteries may be produced to supply the required electric energy for driving street cars in which case the battery may be arranged in a depression formed in the roof as shown in Fig. 5; or for electric lights and all places where a strong electric current is required.

Should the surfaces of the disks become corroded so as to diminish the power of the cell or battery they can be readily separated so as to be cleansed by removing the nuts off the bolts.

Although I have described and prefer to make the cells of circular form it is obvious that they may be of any other desired shape such as square or hexagon.

NVhat I'claim isl. In an electric battery a cell consisting of two outer disks or plates having inwardly projecting rims or flanges of insulating material, a central ring of insulating material, two perforated disks or plates forming the negative elements and a central divided positive element absorbent material on each side of said elements; and means for supplying the exciting fluid to the said absorbent material as set forth.

2. In an electric battery a cell consisting of two outer disks or plates having inwardly projecting rims or flanges of insulating material, a central ring of insulating material, said plates and ring having a lug ,on each side= two perforated disks or plates forming the negative elements held between said flanges and ring and one positive element held between the positive elements absorbent material between and on the outer side of said negative and positive elements the parts being held together by bolts or rods passing through said legs and a tank arranged on the top and connected to the spaces containing the central absorbent material for supplying the same with fluid as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 27th day of January, A. D. 1894.

HOSEA W. LIBBEY.

Witnesses:

CHAs. STEERE, EDWIN PLANTA. 

